What is the minimum termination notice in Ontario?
Under the Employment Standards Act, notice is one week per completed year of service, to a maximum of eight weeks. So an employee with 3 years gets 3 weeks, and anyone with 8+ years gets the 8-week maximum. Employers may give working notice, pay in lieu, or a combination.
What happens if my employer gives less notice than required?
The employer owes you pay in lieu for the shortfall — the difference between the statutory (or contractual/common-law) notice required and what you received, calculated at your regular weekly wage. You can recover this through an employment standards claim or a wrongful dismissal action.
What is mass-termination notice?
When an employer terminates 50 or more employees at an establishment within a short period, enhanced group notice applies: in Ontario, 8 weeks for 50–199 employees, 12 weeks for 200–499, and 16 weeks for 500 or more. The greater of individual or mass-termination notice applies.
Is statutory notice the same as severance pay?
No. Statutory notice (or pay in lieu) is separate from statutory severance pay, which in Ontario applies to employees with 5+ years at large employers. Both are ESA minimums, and both are usually far below common-law reasonable notice, which considers the Bardal factors.